Shun DM0700 Classic 3-1/2-Inch Paring Knife Reviews

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $113.00
Sale Price: $77.95
Today's Bonus: 31% Off

Let me first say that the Shun knives, including the 3 1/2 in paring knife, are fantastic. They are the sharpest kitchen knives around and hold an edge very well. The craftsmanship and quality are also extremely good.

However, a $45 paring knife does not make sense unless price is no object for you. You can get a Forschner 3 1/2 inch paring knife (rated number 1 by Cook's Illustrated) for $4.95, a tenth of the cost of this knife. As an owner of both knives, I can say that the Forschner is almost as sharp as the Shun and more comfortable to hold. Certainly the Shun is not 10 times as better as the Forschner.

It should also be noted that the prices on all the Shun knives have gone up after Alton Brown started promoting them. This paring knife was $30 a year ago when I bought it.

In summary, if price is no object for you and you want the best paring knife you can get, buy this knife. Otherwise, I would think twice before making this purchase.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

I have a whole set of these blades, so I'm breaking down my review to two parts: Review of the Shun Classic Blades, and the portion as it pertains to this knife in particular.

I absolutely love this knife and it's my second most used knife. My first most used is my work horse, the Shun Ken Onion 8" Chef's Knife. There are many small tasks that the Paring Knife is a must for though, and that's when I grab this one. When you want to trim a nice piece of meat, rib a green pepper, etc...you don't want a big knife, you need this little one. It's little, but so sharp that it slices through anything like butter, making prep work so easy and enjoyable.

Shun knives are beautiful creations period. Since I'm Asian, I love the tradition look and feel of this Japanese knife. I love the beauty of the blade and the dark, polished, Pakkawood handle. The unique "D"-shaped, Wood handles are preferable. The shape fits my hand perfectly, and the wood does not get slippery when wet providing a very secure hold. The steel is of utmost quality and sharpness. Do not put this blade into any old electric knife sharpener! Electric knife sharpeners are made to put one angle on any blade. These blades come with a 16 degree angle and you don't want to be changing that angle. There are electric knife sharpeners that can sharpen these knives, but you'll have to do some research and find out which ones can be a fit with these knives. I prefer to hone with a sharpening steel and manually sharpen with a stone if necessary (and I don't see it being necessary to touch it to a stone any time soon). The blade is sharp straight off the factory and as Alton Brown says it's the sharpest straight out of the factory edge as he's ever seen.

These knives are more expensive than most, but I think it's definitely worth it. To have the sharpest, most beautiful knife around it's no contest. If you are on a budget, build your collection slowly. It's been said that there are only 3 knives that are the absolute basics for any kitchen: A 8" Chef's Knife, a Paring Knife, and a Long Serrated blade for cutting bread and larger items. I would add a thin utility knife and a boning knife to that list next. Then I would add those "in-between" sizes as I get more money flow in. =)

If you plan on spending any time in the kitchen, good kitchen knives are a definite must. Preparation is the bulk of cooking and when you have good knives, it cuts down on the danger of cutting yourself, it adds pleasure to the work, and it cuts down on prep time. Knives are also a very personal choice and it's best to at least go to a store and try it out for yourself first. Shun Knives are designed by the Japanese, so remember it's designed for small hands. This makes it fit most women's hands perfectly, but I've heard of guys with larger hands not like it so much and going back to the German knives. So definitely try it out. It's a personal thing, it needs to fit you.

Why spend so much money on a knife? Well, if you spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and you almost always have to bust out a knife to prep a meal from scratch why not use the best? Why spend that time with items that you love and brings you pleasure to use? Many times, it's the small things that brings us the most pleasure in life, and I consider my Shun knives as one of those things. Having something so beautiful and yet so sharp and perfect it makes my time cooking just that much more enjoyable.

Another good thing to know is that although the Shun Knives are usually offered for right-handers, you can get these knives for left-handers. You just need to find the guys who stock and sell those ones as they are less known, and less common.

Best Deals for Shun DM0700 Classic 3-1/2-Inch Paring Knife

This Shun 3 1/2 inch paring knife is a work of art. It's probably the classiest looking knife I've seen and fortunately it has the cutting power to go along with those good looks. Is it worth the cost? Well, I've purchased a lot of paring knives in the past that were a lot less expensive. None of them were as sharp as this one or had the substantial feel that this one has and most of them ended up being pretty much useless after a few years, some broke, some just couldn't be sharpened anymore and some were never that great to begin with. They certainly added up to more than the cost of this one. From what I've read from other people's comments, this should be a lifetime investment. And since it has a lifetime warranty, I think it will. And when I think of it, we can spend a lot more money than this just going out to a play, and that doesn't last very long. I'm going to be using this everyday. I ordered two additional sizes of Shun knives after trying this one so you know I think they are worth it.

So now that I've justified the cost to myself, I have to tell you that I love the weight and feel of this knife. You don't ordinarily think in terms of weight and balance on such a small knife, but this feels really good in my hand. It was also extremely sharp, right out of the box. I'm going to have to be careful to keep my fingers out of the way. I've been cutting up everything in my fruit bowl and frig, even things that are too big for a paring knife, just to see what it would do and it handled every job well. Now that I have a gazillion thinly sliced fruits and vegetables and one peeled apple I know I made a good choice. (And dinner tonight is all going to be thinly sliced!)

I showed a picture in the video of the box that it comes it. Are you impressed? I know I was. I can't bear to throw it away because it has such an elegant look. It would make a nice gift presentation. I hope you like the video and that it gives you a better idea of the way the knife looks and handles than the one photo posted here so far. I probably should have peeled a potato or an apple, something I more often do with a paring knife, but that takes longer and is so boring to watch. Thank you for viewing!

Honest reviews on Shun DM0700 Classic 3-1/2-Inch Paring Knife

Before I started doing any serious cooking, I never quite saw the point of the 'big' knives and ended up doing practically everything with a cheap stamped paring knife. Then, I discovered the beauty of the mid-sized chef's knife and the rocking action you can use to make short work of veggie prep. Finally, I discovered the sheer bliss of very sharp large knives starting with the great German brands and graduating to these new Shun knives after my hero, Alton Brown started shilling for Shun and Khershaw. It was easy to forget the utility of a great little paring knife, especially if it was just as sharp as its big brothers.

Now that I've gotten one of these little beauties, I have come back to admiring its qualities. Without a very sharp paring knife, jobs like cleaning and butterflying shrimp can be a real drag in that the flesh of the shrimp is so soft, a dull knife won't even cut into it without really dangerous pressure or shear. Here's a poster case for the dangers of dull knives, as you are typically not pressing down on a nice firm cutting board, you are usually cutting toward your thumb or index finger.

All lecturing aside, if you do a wide range of cooking, you may not use a paring knife often, but when you do,you will really appreciate having this little sharpie on hand!

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Shun DM0700 Classic 3-1/2-Inch Paring Knife

I loved my 6" Shun Chef Knife so much that I just bought two of these little knifelets, one for my mother and one for me. The razor thin edge tore through the bases of 4 day old asparagus like butter-I am very very pleased. Will use this for tomatoes and everything else that requires a knife of manageable size. Plus, for my mother, who doesn't take very good care of things in the kitchen, these have the advantage of being dishwasher safe, a huge bonus.

As the saying goes, when you try a Shun, your German knives are Dun...